Having been recalled from a lucrative loan spell at National League side Gateshead, Middlesbrough rewarded Armstrong with a new long term deal. The club wanted to give the young striker a chance at a club in the EFL and Accrington Stanley came calling soon after.

His loan spell in the fifth tier proved successful, with the 22-year old scoring 10 goals in 18 appearances for the Heed, gaining the attention of plenty of clubs in the higher divisions.

In an report in The Non-League Football Paper, Luke Armstrong’s dad Alun, who played for Middlesbrough between 1998 and 2000, and currently manages National League North side Blyth Spartans said “It’s a double-edged sword in many ways as he was settled at Gateshead, playing well and scoring goals.”

But after he was recalled, he did predict that his son would play for a side in League One.

“There’s not much difference between League Two and the National League, so it may be he joins a League One side on loan” he said.

“I just want to play as much as I can and hopefully I will learn a lot from the experience.

“I haven’t played league football so this is an exciting challenge for me and I obviously want to score my first league goal.

The forward is another player off the production line of Middlesbrough’s illustrious academy, and he could be given his debut in the near future if his spell in the EFL proves to be successful. The likes of Dael Fry, Stephen Walker and Nathan Wood have all been given debuts in the recent past, and Armstrong could be the next in line.